Munich, Germany

I feel sorry for vegetarians who visit Munich for it really is a meat lover’s paradise. On every corner, butchers sell a huge variety of meats and small goods raw for home consumption, or cooked for an easy on-the-go snack. Haxen (pork shins wrapped with meat and covered in pig hide) spin on rotisseries, their glistening skin crisping up before your eyes. Bratwurst and weisswurst sit on hot grill plates, skin firm and taunt waiting to burst open in your mouth. In a town where, besides sauerkraut, the only vegetables you are likely to find on your plate are potatoes, it would be a real shame to deny yourself the mountains of carnivore pleasures offered here; you can eat like a king for next to nothing.

A typical selection of cooked meats and sausages

A Fleischpflanzerl (Germany's hamburger)

I guess the vegetarians could resign themselves to eating in the bakeries and although not the healthiest of options, the variety and quality of cakes and pastries available is truly overwhelming.

It seems that I have been bringing the miserable weather with me from one destination to the next and Munich was no exception. After walking for hours in the rain on the first day, I decided to take a guided tour of the city on my second day. New Europe Tours are redefining the way tour companies operate. Offering a half-day walking tour of the city, the tour is provided for free with the guides receiving their pay on a tips-only basis.

Hofbräuhaus

Marienplatz: Rathaus-Glockenspiel

The walking tour was very informative and enjoyable; my guide, Curt, an American expat living in Munich, was so great that I decided to sign up for the afternoon tour to Dachau concentration camp with him.

The museum at Dachau is very well laid out, highly information and has the placards next to the exhibits in German and English. It is very hard not to be moved after a visit and spend the evening in quiet reflection afterwards.

The entry gate at Dachau

The footprints were the barracks were

The memorial sculpture on site